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THE 



WOODLAND COMPANION ; •, 

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ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES. 



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N "11 

... * * ^T 



THE 

WOODLAND COMPANION; 

OR, A 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION 

OF 

BRITISH TREES. 

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THEIR USES. 

J/ BY THE 

AUTHOR OF EVENINGS AT HOME. 

- 

ILLUSTRATED WITH TWENTY-EIGHT PLATES. 



Welcome, ye shades! ye bowery thickets, hail! 

Ye lofty pines ! ye venerable oaks ! 

Ye ashes wild, resounding o'er the steep ! 

thomsox, 




PRINTED FOR BALDWIN, CRADOCK AND JOY, PATER- 
NOSTER-ROW, AND JOHN SHARPE, JUVENILE LIBRARY, 
LONDON MUSEUM, PICCADILLY. 

1815. 



4 



$ 



rs 



Whittingharn and Rowland, Printers, Goswell Street, London. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The confined knowledge which young per- 
sons, and even those of advanced age, are 
usually found to possess of the noblest pro* 
ducts of the vegetable creation, the trees 
which compose our woods and decorate our 
parks and pleasure-grounds, suggested to 
the writer that a brief description of them, 
in the form of a pocket-companion of the 
rural walk, might be acceptable. But as 
words alone would be inadequate to enable 
any one not an adept in botanical science to 
ascertain the several species, he has added 
a set of plates copied from the excellent 
figures subjoined by Dr. Hunter to his va- 
luable edition of Evelyn's Sylva. In these 
the minute parts illustrative of the Linnaean 
System have been omitted, as it was his 
purpose only to assist the common observer 
in acquiring a visual knowledge of each 
subject. 

J. A. 



CONTENTS. 



^ Plate. 

Oak , i 

Beech ... , g 

Chesnut , 3 

Elm 4 

Ash 5 

Maple 6 

Sycamore 7 

Lime 8 

Horse Chesnut 9 

Hornbeam , 10 

Hazel 11 

Walnut.. t 12 

Wild Cherry 13 

White Beam 14 

Wild Service 15 

Hawthorn «. 

Quicken Tree „ 16 

White Poplar 17 

Black Poplar 

Asp, or Aspen Tree , 

Oriental Plane ~ 18 

Occidental, or Virginia Plane 

Birch 19 

Alder *,..... 20 

White Willow 

Crack Willow 21 

Weeping Willow > 

Sallow ... 

Ozier... 

Scotch Fir * 22 

Spruce Fir 23 

Silver Fir 24 

Weymouth Pine..... 25 

Larch 26 

Yew 27 

Holly 28 

Box 



THE 

WOODLAND COMPANION, 



THE OAK. 

Quercus Robur. — PL 1. 



* Fructification, Barren flowers in a loose catkin, each 

consisting of a bundle of chives, from five to ten in 

the same cup. 
Fertile flowers in a bud on the same tree, each having 

an oval seed-bud, which becomes an acoru. 
Specific character. Leaves deciduous, oblong, broadest 

towards the end, with sharp indentations and rather 

blunt angles. 

The oak stands at the head of British timber- 
trees, as well on account of its utility, as of 
the grandeur and majesty of its figure. It 

* In this, and all the future instances, the fructification 
is descriptive of the genus, or family, of the tree treated 
of, according to the Linnaean system ; the specific charac- 
ter relates to the particular species or kind which is the 
•ubject of the article. 

B 



% THE OAK. 

arrives at a bulk equal, if not superior, to that 
of any other tree of the forest ; and by the 
vast arms which it throws out on every side, it 
forms a mass which fills the eye of the specta- 
tor, and impresses him with gigantic ideas. 
Its rugged bark and jagged deep-green leaves 
add to its character of rustic and masculine 
strength. 

The oak most delights in a rich strong soil, 
in which it strikes its roots to a vast depth. 
It loves hilly rather than boggy ground, and 
thrives best in large plantations. It is in- 
jured by cropping ; whence may be estimated 
the mischief annually done to this noble tree, 
by the custom of cutting large branches for 
the celebration of the 29th of May. It forms 
the largest head, and spreads in the most 
picturesque figure, when growing singly, as in 
parks and ornamental grounds; but it rises 
with a tall and straight trunk only in woods and 
close plantations. 



THE OAK. 3 

The uses of the oak tree are very various 
and comprehend almost every part of it. The 
acorns (which, in common with the nuts of 
other timber-trees, bear the name of mast) are 
said to have been one of the earliest foods of 
mankind ; and in some of the warm climates 
they are still in use for that purpose. With 
us they are valued as the food of swine^ of 
which large droves are sent to fatten in the 
oak w r oods in this kingdom, during some 
weeks in autumn, when the ripe acorns begin 
to fall. Squirrels and other small quadrupeds 
also partake of the repast, and lay up acorns 
for their winter store. 

Every part of the oak abounds in an astrin- 
gent juice, which is applied to various pur- 
poses. The bark is particularly valuable on 
this account, which renders it the chief ma- 
terial for tanning leather. Oaks growing in 
hedge-rows, which seldom arrive to the size 
of timber-trees, owe great part of their value 



4 THE OAK. 

to their bark. Before it is used, it is ground 
to powder ; and the infusion of it in water is 
by the tanners termed ooze. The small twigs, 
and even the leaves, of the oak may be 
applied to a similar purpose. Galls, which 
are an excrescence formed in the warm coun- 
tries upon the leaves of a species of oak, by 
means of an insect, are some of the strongest 
astringents known, and are much used in dye- 
ing, on account of their property of striking 
a deep black, with the addition of vitriol of 
iron. The oak-apples, (as they are improperly 
called) formed in the same manner upon our 
trees, possess a similar property, in a smaller 
degree. Oak saw-dust is the principal ma- 
terial used in dying fustians. It gives all 
the varieties of drab colours and shades of 
brown, accordingly as it is managed and com- 
pounded. 

But it is by the use of its wood that the 
oak has acquired its chief fame, and especially 



THE OAK. 



for the important purpose of ship-building. 

This has made it so peculiarly the favourite 
of England, to whose naval glory it is sup- 
posed materially to have contributed. Thus 
Pope, in his Windsor Forest, speaking of i 
table treasures, says, 



Let India boast her plauts, nor envy we 
The weeping amber ami the balmy tree, 
While by our oaks the precious loads are borne, 
And realms commanded which those trees adorn. 



Oak-timber is fitted for this purpose, by 
its strength and durability, and also by the 
property of not readily splintering, a circum- 
stance of much consequence since the inven- 
tion of cannon. Ships of war, therefore, if 
not entirely built of oak (which from the pre- 
sent scarcity of that timber is seldom done) 
have always their sides planked with it. The 
crooked pieces of this wood procured from the 
bend of the branches are also used for the 
knees, by which the planks are held out and 
b2 



6 THE OAK. 

supported. Oak-timber is likewise preferred 
for many other services of strength. In 
house-building it is used for door and window- 
frames, and for wall-plates. When more plen- 
tiful, floors and stair-cases were also made of 
it. In machinery, no other wood is equal to 
it where a great stress is to be borne, as in 
mill-work, steam-engines, and the like. It is 
used for the bodies of carts and waggons, 
also for gates, posts, and ladders. In the 
country it is a common material for furniture, 
such as tables, bedsteads, and chests of drawers ; 
its durability being thought a compensation 
for the difficulty of working it. The coopers 
employ it for their largest vessels, and for 
well-buckets and water-pails. 

The oak may be termed not less the poet's 
tree, than the artisan's. Some of the first 
poets, ancient and modern, have chosen it as 
an object either of direct description, or of 
simile ; and that, not only in its flourishing 



THE OAK. 7 

state, but in its decay. Thus Lucan, in 
some very fine lines, has made an aged 
oak the comparison of Pompey the Great, at 
the time of his contest for power with Caesar, 
when, being little more than the shadow of 
his former fame, he still excited awe by the 
remains of declining grandeur. Our Spenser 
has given an original picture of the same kind 
in the fable of the Oak and the Briar, in his 
Shepherd's Calendar, which, as being of true 
English growth, I shall copy. 



There grew an aged tree on the green, 
A goodly oak sometime had it been, 
With arms full strong and largely display'd, 
But of their leaves they were disarray'd : 
The body big and mightily pight, 
Thoroughly rooted, and of wondrous height ; 
Whylom had been the king of the field, 
And mochel mast to the husband did yield, 
And with his nuts larded many swine; 
But now the grey moss marr'd his rine, 
His bared boughs were beaten with storms, 
His top was bald and wasted with worms, 
His honour decay'd, his branches sere. 

February. 



8 THE OAK. 

A more exact visible representation of the 
same object cannot be given, than by the figure 
of the old oak of Cowthorpe, Yorkshire, which 
measures sixteen yards in circumference within 
three feet of the ground, in Dr. Hunter's edi- 
tion of Evelyn's Sylva. 



THE BEECH. 

Fagus Sylvatica. — PL 2. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in a kind of catkin, each 
consisting of about twelve chives in a cup. Fertile 
flowers on the same tree, in a bud, changing into a 
hairy capsule with four valves and two seeds. 

Specific cJiaracter. Leaves oval, indistinctly serrated. 
Bark smooth, white. 



The beech is one of the most stately timber 
trees, and composes large woods in some parts 
of this country. It particularly delights in 
a chalky soil, where it will flourish and arrive 
at a great size, though the land has all the ap- 
pearance of barrenness. When standing singly, 
or at large distances from other trees, it spreads 
in a round form to a wide extent, and forms 
a deep mass of shade ; but when drawn up 
in close plantations, it rises to a great height, 



10 THE BEECH. 

with singular elegance and airiness. Its leaves 
are of a pleasant green, and many of them 
remain on the trees during winter, after turn- 
ing brown. No verdure, however, will thrive 
beneath its shade. The smoothness of its bark 
has from ancient times tempted the rural lover 
to carve the favourite name upon it ; a custom 
recorded in various passages of the poets ; 
and the opening of Virgil's first Eclogue re- 
presents the musing shepherd as reclining 
under the shade of a spreading beech. 

This is one of the glandiferous or mast- 
bearing trees. Its nuts, when eaten raw, are 
apt to occasion giddiness and head-ache, but, 
when thoroughly dried and powdered, are said 
to make wholesome bread. They, are, how- 
ever, chiefly the food of deer and swine, and 
of squirrels, dormice, and other small quadru- 
peds, which are numerous in thebeechen woods. 
An oil expressed from them is used in some 
countries in place of butter. 



THE BEECH. 11 

The wood of the beech is brittle, and apt 
to decay ; but, being easily wrought, it is 
much used for various domestic purposes. 
The poets, who celebrate the simplicity and 
frugality of the early ages, .speak much of 
the beechen cups and bowls, some of which 
received an extraordinary value from the hand 
of the carver. In our days, beech is a com- 
mon material of the turner and cabinet-maker ; 
the former using it for his larger w are ; and 
the latter, for common chairs and other arti- 
cles of furniture. It is, indeed, almost the 
only English wood employed by the London 
cabinet-makers. Its lightness causes it to be 
chosen for the handles of tools; and it is split 
into thin scales for band-boxes, sword-scab- 
bards, and the like. It is a common w r ood 
for fuel, and, in some counties, is regularly 
grown in plantations for that purpose. The 
dried leaves of the beech make a very good 
stuffing for mattresses. 



THE CHESNUT. 

Fagtjs Castanea. — PL 3. 



Fructification. As the beech. 

Specific character. Leaves spear- shaped, with sharp ser- 
ratures ; naked underneath. 



This tree is usually called the Spanish Ches- 
nut, as growing in the greatest perfection in 
Spain and others of the warm countries in 
Europe. Many, however, think it an original 
native of this island ; at least it arrives to the 
full bulk of a timber tree in our woods and 
groves. The appearance of an aged chesnut 
is striking and majestic. It throws out arms 
equal in size to those of the oak, and they 
often shoot in an angular manner, and thwart 
each other, so as to produce an uncommon 




a.JMale cox 

b. J^emale £\ 

c. Capsule 

d. Suts. 



THE CHESNUT. 13 

effect. The deep furrows of the rugged trunk 
sometimes form a kind of net-work by inter- 
lacing. The branches are richly clothed with 
long jagged leaves, of a pleasant green ; and 
the head is massy and spreading. In autumn 
the leaves fade to a gold yellow, affording a 
very conspicuous variety of tinge in the woods. 
Few trees arrive at greater longevity. A ches- 
nut at Tortworth, in Gloucestershire, is proved 
to have stood ever since the year 1150, and 
to have been then remarkable for its age and 
size. The chesnut tree thrives in almost all 
soils and situations, though it succeeds best 
in rich loamy land. Nothing will grow be- 
neath its shade. 

Among the mast-bearing trees this may be 
reckoned the most valuable, since its nuts, by 
their sweet and farinaceous quality, are ren- 
dered good food for man, as well as for other 
animals. The chesnuts cultivated for their fruit 
are usually grafted ones, called by the French 
c 



14 THE CHESNUT. 

marronier ; and in many parts of the south of 
Europe they afford great part of the sustenance 
of the poor, who make bread of their flour. 
They are also eaten as a delicacy at the best 
tables, either roasted or stewed. In this 
country the fruit of the chesnut is small, and 
seldom comes to maturity ; it is therefore left 
to the hogs and squirrels. 

The wood of the chesnut is strong and 
durable, and is used for most of the purposes in 
which oak is employed. Some of the oldest 
buildings in London are said to be timbered 
with chesnut. The trunks, however, are often 
found decayed at the heart when they appear 
sound externally ; and the wood on working 
is apt to turn out brittle, and to separate in 
roundish masses, which fault is termed being 
cupshakey. ' It is preferable to any for making 
tubs and vessels to hold liquor, as not being 
liable to shrink after being once seasoned. 
The principal use of chesnut wood among 



THE CHESNUT. 15 

us is for hop-poles, of which it makes the 
straightest, tallest, and most durable. Being- 
cut at an early age for this purpose, it is rare 
to see large chesnut trees in our woods ; but 
they are frequent ornaments of our parks and 
pleasure-grounds. 



THE ELM. 

Ulmus Campestris. — PL 4. 



Fructification* Flowers in clusters, each having about five 
chives, succeeded by an oval bordered capsule, con- 
taining a single roundish flattened seed. 

Specific character. Leaves doubly serrated, unequal at 
the base. Bark of the trunk cracked and wrinkled. 



The common elm is a large timber-tree of 
great beauty and use. It grows to a great 
height, and at the same time, if permitted, 
throws out expanded arms, so as to cover a 
large extent with its shade. Hence it is often 
planted singly or a few together in village 
greens, where it affords both a majestic ob- 
ject and a pleasant summer shelter. The 
elm is, however, often seen trained to a vast 
height with a single naked trunk, which mode 



THE ELM. 17 

of rearing destroys its beauty, though it better 
fits it for a particular use. In this state it is 
very common in hedge-rows, especially in the 
neighbourhood of London. Elms are not fre- 
quent in woods or forests, but are generally 
planted in avenues or in other artificial situa- 
tions. The diversity in the form and site of 
elms is agreeably sketched by Cowper, the 
poet, who, of all others, viewed natural ob- 
jects with most taste and correctness. He 
first mentions them as growing by the river's 
side. 

There, fast rooted in his bank 



Stand, never overlooked, our favourite elms 
That screen the herdsman's solitary hut. 

Task, b. 1. 

Then they are seen encircling a cottage 
upon a hill. 

'Tis perch'd upon the green-hill top, but close 

Environ'd with a ring of branching elms 

That overhang the thatch. Ibid. 



18 THE ELM. 

Next, they form a walk or avenue. 
The grove receives us next -, 



Between the upright shafts of whose tall elms 
We may discern the thresher a.t his task. Ibid. 

He also notices its hue, as of a deeper green 
than the ash. 

The elm best loves an open situation and 
a black clayey soil. It bears transplantation 
well. It does not injure the grass beneath 
it ; and its leaves are agreeable to cattle, and 
in some countries constitute a considerable 
part of their food. The ancients made great 
use of elms properly trimmed as props or 
supports for their vines ; and the poets fre- 
quently allude to the marriage of these dissi- 
milar plants, and the aid derived to the weak 
and fruitful vine by twining round the strong 
stem of her husband elm. 

The wood of the elm is hard and tough, 
and useful for a variety of purposes. It is 



THE ELM. 19 

particularly serviceable for occasions which 
require its being kept constantly wet ; as in 
the keels and planking beneath the water-line 
of ships, mill-wheels and water-works, and 
especially for water-pipes, the great demand 
for which is the cause of its frequency about 
London, and of the practice of training it 
without branches to a tall straight trunk, which 
may admit of boring in long pieces. It is like- 
wise used for axle-trees, naves, gate-posts and 
rails, floors, dressers, blocks, &c. and it is very 
fit for the carved and ornamental works be- 
longing to architecture. 

There are several varieties of the elm, dif- 
fering in the roughness and smoothness of 
their leaves, and manner of growth. A dwarf 
kind is employed for making tall hedges or 
screens in gardens, or nursery grounds. 

A distinct species of elm, growing mostly 
in the North of England and Scotland, is 



20 THE ELM. 

that called the Wych hazel (Ulmus montana) 
from the resemblance of its leaves to those of 
the hazel. It is smaller and more branchy 
than the common elm ; its boughs are more 
depending, and its leaves and seeds much 
bigger. 




a. Bunch offhwers 

b. A-Wing ed seed. 
C. Seed naked. 




THE ASH. 

Fraxinus Excelsior. — PL 5. 



Fructification. Flowers with chives and pointals upon 
some trees, with pointals only upon others. Two 
chives in each flower. Seed-bud oval, compressed, 
changing into a long membranaceous seed-vessel, 
containing a single seed. 

Specific character. Leaves generally winged, consisting of 
four or live pair of small ones, serrated, with an odd 
one at the end. 



The ash is a tall tree, having a light thin foliage, 
■which gives it a graceful appearance, especially 
when contrasted with trees of greater mass and 
depth of shade. It flourishes most in woods, 
but will also thrive well in good soils upon 
open ground. It runs its roots a great way 
near the surface ; which quality, together with 






22 THE ASH. 

the destructive property of its drippings, ren- 
ders it injurious to herbage, and still more to 
corn. When growing near water it some- 
times hangs down its boughs like the weeping 
willow. No tree is so often met with in ruins 
and upon ancient walls, probably on account 
of the readiness with which its winged seeds 
are borne by the wind. It insinuates its roots 
far into the crevices of these old buildings, 
and thereby becomes an instrument of the 
destruction of what affords it support. In like 
manner it fastens upon loose slaty rocks, and 
decorates them with its verdure. It is one of 
the latest trees in coming into leaf, and loses 
its leaves early in autumn. The bunches of 
long skinny seeds, called keys, on the fertile 
trees, have a singular appearance. It is ob- 
served that while some ash-trees bear great 
quantities of keys yearly, others seem never to 
bear any. The former, however, are naked 
of leaves and unsightly; whereas the latter 
abound in foliage, and are pleasing objects. 



THE ASH. 23 

The bark is smooth and light-coloured; the 
leaves dark green. A well grown ash is a 
handsome and elegant object, though all may 
not agree with the Roman poet in giving it the 
prize of beauty above all the natives of the 
forest. There are few which excel it in 
utility ; for its wood, next to that of the oak, 
is employed for the greatest variety of pur- 
poses. Thus our Spenser, mentioning the par- 
ticular uses of a number of trees, characterises 
the ash as 

— for nothing ill. 

It may be peculiarly termed the husbandman's 
tree ; for it is one of the principal materials in 
making ploughs, harrows, waggons, carts, and 
various other implements for rustic use : hence 
a proportional number of ash-trees should be 
planted in every farm. The toughness of its 
wood rendered it a favourite with the heroes 
of old for the shafts of their potent spears ; 
whence it is poetically termed " the martila 



£4 THE ASH. 

ash." With us it is much employed in poles 
for various purposes, and also in spokes of 
wheels, tool-handles, and the like. Dairy 
utensils are mostly made of ash. Its loppings 
make good fuel, and it has the quality of 
burning when fresh as well as dry, and also 
with little smoke. Its ashes afford good pot- 
ash. The bark of the ash has an astringent 
quality, and is used in tanning calf-skin. Its 
leaves are eaten by cattle. 



THE MAPLE. 

Acer Campestre. — PL 6. 



Fructification. Flowers, fertile and barren upon the same 
tree : the chives in both, eight in number. In the 
fertile, the seed-bud changes into two capsules united 
at the base, and terminating above in large mem- 
branous wings, with a single seed in each. 

Specific character. Leaves lobed, blunt, notched. 



The maple is a tree of no great figure ; and 
with us chiefly grows in thickets and hedges 
as an underwood. It may, however, be trained 
to a considerable height. Its wood is soft 
and fine grained, and is excellent for the 
turner's use, who can bring it to an almost 
transparent thinness. It excels beech for the 
purpose of making cups, dishes, and the like ; 
and is often mentioned by the poets as the 



26 THE MAPLE. 

material of these utensils in rustic and sim- 
ple life. The beautiful variegation of its 
knots, however, has given it value in orna- 
mental works; and the ancient Romans, for 
their luxury of curiously-veined tables, prized 
the maple next to their famous citron-wood. 
Musical instruments are also frequently made 
of maple. This tree grows very full of 
branches, which, from the opportunity they 
give of the lodgment of the rain-water, is 
probably the cause of that disposition to in- 
ternal decay of which Spenser accuses it : 

the maple, seldom inward sound. 

Cowper describes it as 

— . glossy -leaved, and shining in the sun. 

Its bark is furrowed and spungy, like cork. 




a . Bunch of FLou 
b 7m>o n>mqed sect 
c . Seed naked. . 



THE SYCAMORE. 

Acer Pseudo-Platanus. — PL 7. 



Fructification. As the Maple. 

Specific character. Leaves with five lobes, unequally 
serrated. Flowers in bunches. 



This species grows to a larger size, and is 
more sightly than the common maple. The 
name Sycamore, (Wild Fig), is an improper 
one, and that of Greater or Broad-leaved 
Maple is more suitable. The Latin appel- 
lation Pseudo-Platanus (False Plane) well 
expresses its appearance. It is of quick 
growth, and flourishes best in x>pen places and 
sandy ground. It is not uncommonly planted 
in streets, and before houses, on account of 
its shade. It has also the property of being 



28 THE SYCAMORE. 

less injured by the neighbourhood of the sea, 
and the dashing of the salt spray, than almost 
any other tree ; and hence is often set in rope- 
walks in maritime towns. It comes early into 
flower, and usually bears a vast profusion of 
pendent light-green bunches or catkins, which 
make a handsome show. The flowers smell 
strong of honey, and afford much pasture to 
bees. The foliage of the sycamore soon loses 
its spring verdure, and changes its hue. Cow- 
per calls it 



■ capricious in attire, 



Now green, now tawny, and, ere autumn yet 
Have changed the woods, in scarlet honours bright. 

Its w r ood is soft and very white, and hence 
proper for the use of the turner, who makes from 
it bowls, trenchers, and other utensils. From 
its lightness, it is also occasionally used for 
cart and plough timber. 

If the sycamore is tapped in the spring, it 
affords a sweetish watery liquor which may be 



THE SYCAMORE. 29 

used to save malt in brewing, and will yield a 
sugar upon inspissation. Most of the spe- 
cies of the maple, indeed, afford sweet juice ; 
but none so remarkably as the sugar-maple, 
which is a very common native tree in North 
America, and from which large quantities of 
coarse sugar are made by the settlers in the 
inland parts. 



d2 



THE LIME. 

Tilia Europ^a. PL 8. 



Fructification. Flowers with five petals and many 
chives ; the seed-bud turning to a dry berry, or cap- 
sule, having five cells with a single seed in each. 
Generally, only one seed comes to perfection, push- 
ing aside the rest. 

Specific character. Flowers without a nectary, whitish. 
Leaves heart-shaped, serrated. A floral leaf to 
each bunch of blossoms. 



The lime or linden is one of the beauties 
among trees, and is cultivated rather on that 
account than for its utility. It grows straight 
and taper, with a smooth erect trunk, and a 
fine spreading head inclined to a conical form. 
Its leaf is large, and its bark smooth. In a 
good soil it arrives at a great height and 



THE LIME. 31 

size, and becomes a stately object. But it is 
seldom viewed single, and its chief glory arises 
from society. No tree is so much employed 
for avenues, and for bordering streets and 
roads. Some of the straight walks of ancient 
limes, which modern taste has hitherto spared, 
are beautiful specimens of the pointed arch 
made by the intersection of branches, which 
has been supposed to be imitated in the 
Gothic architecture of cathedrals. In view- 
ing one of these noble works of nature disci- 
plined by art, who will not exclaim with 
Cowper, 

Ye fallen avenues ! once more I mourn 
Your fate unmerited, once more rejoice 
That yet a remnant of your race survives. 
How airy and how light the graceful arch, 
Yet awful as the consecrated roof 
Re-echoing pious anthems ! while beneath 
The chequered earth seems restless as a flood 
Brushed by the wind. Task, b. 1 . 

The lime comes early into leaf, and its ver- 



S2 THE LIME. 

dure is one of the first harbingers of spring 
beheld in great towns, where it often decorates 
the squares and public walks. Its flowers are 
highly fragrant, and are very attractive to the 
bees, which gather much honey from them. 
An infusion of them is said to make a plea- 
sant tea. The sap of the tree contains sugar. 
Lime wood is soft and light, and therefore 
only fit for uses requiring little strength. It is 
used by shoe-makers and leather-cutters to cut 
leather upon, as not being liable to turn the 
edge of their knives. The closeness of its 
grain, joined with softness, and the property 
c f not being readily attacked by the worm, 
has caused it to be chosen by carvers for the 
rich ornamental work with which churches 
and palaces were formerly decorated. Mr. 
Evelyn mentions it as the material employed 
by the celebrated artist Gibbon for his beau- 
tiful festoon? and other sculptures. It makes 
good charcoal for designers. Its inner bark, 



THE LIME. 33 

soaked in water, yields a fibrous matter fit 
for ropes and fishing-nets. The Russia mats, 
and the bark shoes of the peasants, are made 
of this material. 



THE HORSE CHESNUT. 

JEsCULUS HlPPOCASTANUM. PL 9* 



Fructification. Flowers in a long spike, each having five 
petals, seven chives, and one pointal : seed-bud 
changing into a spinous capsule of three cells, with 
two seeds in each, some of which are abortive. 

Specific character. Leaves blunt, spear-shaped, serrated, 
growing by sevens on one stalk, the middle one 
largest. 



This tree, which is originally a native of the 
East, has not very long been naturalized in 
England. Its introduction here has been 
solely owing to its beauty, in which, at the 
flowering season, it certainly excels every 
other tree of its bulk that bears our climate. 
In early spring it puts forth large buds, which 
burst into verdure among the first greens that 
enliven the year ; and its ample palmated 




</ . A bunch of Tlau av . 
b. The capsule otNuts. 




THE HORSE CHESNUT. 35 

leaves have an appearance both uncommon 
and handsome. Not long after, it puts forth 
its long upright spikes of white and variegated 
flowers, generally in such number as to cover 
the whole tree, and give it the resemblance of 
one gigantic bouquet. No flowering shrub is 
rendered more gay by its blossoms than this 
tall tree ; hence it combines beauty with gran- 
deur, hv a degree superior to any other veget- 
able of these climates. The head is also 
shapely and regular in its growth, and well 
adapted to the symmetry required in walks 
and avenues. It has the defect of changing 
and losing its leaves early in autumn, the 
natural consequence of its early spring verdure. 
It is also accused of not well resisting tem- 
pestuous winds. The wood of the horse ches- 
nut is of little value ; it is, however, of some 
use to the turner. Its fruit or nuts are of a 
farinaceous quality, but so bitter as to be 
unfit for human food. Deer are said to be 
fond of them, and sheep will eat them ; and 



36 THE HORSE CHESNUT. 

when boiled, they have been used to fatten 
poultry. When left to decay, they turn into 
a kind of jelly, which has been employed 
like soap in washing linen. The bark has 
considerable astringency, and may be used for 
tanning leather. 



THE HORNBEAM. 

Carpinus Betulus.— PL 10. 



Fructification. Barren and fertile flowers in catkins upoa 
the same tree. The barren, with from eight to six- 
teen chives in each : the fertile, with two seed buds 
each, changing into nuts. 

Specific Character. Leaves oval, pointed, sharply serrated, 
Bark smooth, white. 



The hornbeam is not commonly found as a 
timber-tree, though it may be reared for this 
purpose, and will grow to a great height, 
with a fine straight trunk. It thrives well 
upon a cold stiff clay, on the sides of hills, 
bears lopping and transplanting, and is capa- 
ble of resisting the wind. It is, however, 
principally cultivated as a shrub and under- 
wood, and is excellent for forming tall hedges 
or screens in nursery grounds or ornamental 

E 



38 THE HORNBEAM. 

gardens. It is of quick growth, and has a 
glossy verdure which is very pleasing to the 
eye. It keeps its leaves long, and even all 
the winter when sheltered. The wood of the 
hornbeam is very white, tough, and strong. 
It is used for yokes, handles for tools, and 
cogs for mill-wheels, and is much valued 
by the turner. The wood is very inflamma- 
ble, and will burn like a candle, for which 
purpose it w T as anciently employed. The 
inner bark is much used in the North of 
Europe for dyeing yellow. 






a. a. Male caikm,? . 
h Female flower. 



THE HAZEL. 

CORYLUS AVELLANA. PL 11. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in a long scaly catkin, each 
flower of eight chives. Fertile flowers on the same 
tree in buds, distant, each flower with two shafts, the 
seed-bud changing to a nut. 

Specific Character. Leaves oval, serrated, wrinkled; 
props or stipulae oval, blunt. 



Though the hazel does not arrive at the bulk 
of a timber-tree, it is on several accounts worth 
notice among the natives of the forest. Its 
male catkins, of a yellowish green, are among 
the first appearances in the year of vegetable 
expansion, generally unfolding in the month of 
January. Its fruit-bearing buds make a beau- 
tiful show in March, when they burst, and 
disclose the bright crimson of their shafts. The 
hazel is met with native in almost every part 



\ 




40 THE HAZEL. 

of this island, forming hedges or coppices, and 
thickening the approaches of woods. If suf- 
fered to attain their full growth, they shoot 
into poles of twenty feet in length ; but they 
are usually cut down sooner, in order to form 
walking-sticks, fishing-rods, stakes, hurdles, and 
the like, or for burning into charcoal. Hazel- 
charcoal is preferred to any other by painters 
and engravers, for the freedom with which it 
draws, and the readiness with which its marks 
can be rubbed out. The nuts of the hazel are 
a generally agreeable fruit. They abound in a 
mild oil, which may be extracted by expression, 
and is used by painters for mixing with their 
colours. Nuts, however, are difficult of diges- 
tion, and, when eaten in large quantities, often 
prove hurtful. They ripen soon after har- 
vest ; and Thomson gives an animated picture 
of the amusement of gathering them, usually 
termed nutting. 

Ye swains, now hasten to the hazel-bank, 
Where, down yon dale, the wildly-winding brook 



THE HA2EL. 41 

Falls hoarse from steep to steep. In close array, 
Fit for the thickets and the tangling shrub, 
Ye virgins, come. For you their latest song 
The woodlands raise ; the clustering nuts for you 
The lover finds amid the secret shade ; 
And, where they burnish on the topmost bough, 
With active vigour crushes down the tree, 
Or shakes them ripe from the resigning husk. 

Autumn. 



They are a favourite food of squirrels, which 
lay them up in their winter hoards, and always 
take care to pick out the best. It is a com_ 
mon observation, that a plentiful year for nuts 
is the same for wheat. 

The filbert is a variety of the common nut, 
distinguished by a longer fruit, and a thinner 
skin. It is cultivated in plantations in the 
Kentish orchards, and yields a valuable pro- 
duct. 



THE WALNUT. 

JUGLANS ReGIA.— PL 12. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in an oblong catkin, each 
flower having many chives. Fertile flowers upon 
the same tree, growing by twos or threes, each 
succeeded by a large round fleshy capsule containing 
one nut. 

Specific character. Leaves small, oval, smooth, equal, set 
in pairs with an odd one at the end. 



The walnut, though not a native of our woods, 
is in many parts planted so freely, and so 
well perfects its fruit and timber, that it may 
be considered as fairly naturalized among us. 
It loves a rich loamy soil, but will grow well 
on stony ground, if the staple be chalk : 
hence it is found to thrive on the chalky 
downs of Surrey, where large plantations of 
it have been made. The tree arrives at a 
respectable size, and makes a good figure 



nxn. 




a. Male CoLtkm 




//;/,/ '/?/„•/ te>>. 



7 



THE WALNUT. 43 

either set in rows or growing singly, though it 
has the defect of getting its leaves very late, 
and shedding them early. 

As a timber-tree the walnut was formerly 
in greater request than at present, when its 
place is mostly supplied by foreign woods. 
It has been much used by cabinet-makers 
for bedsteads, chairs, tables, and bureaus, for 
which purposes it is one of the most durable 
woods of English growth; also for wainscots, 
and stocks for guns. The wood near the root 
is often beautifully veined, and fit for inlaying 
and ornamental works. The black Virginia 
walnut, however, excels our own for these 
uses. It is for the sake of the fruit that the 
walnut is chiefly cultivated among us. This 
is one of the most grateful of the nut kind, 
and forms a welcome addition to deserts at 
all tables as long as it continues fresh and 
moist. It contains much oil, which, like that 
of the common nut, may be separated by ex- 



44 THE WALNUT. 

. and is used by painters and var- 
is. and. in some countries, also for food, 
instead ol butter. The unripe walnuts, with 
their green fleshy coat upon them, are com- 
monly used as a pickle. A syrup made with 
them is a vulgar medicine against worms; 
and decoctions of the husks and leaves, which 
are strongly bitter and aromatic, are some- 
times poured upon walks and grass plots in 
order to kill the earth-worms and grubs. 

Th< died gipsies, stain 

their - a tawny hue with the juice of 

ore en walnut h 



THE WILD CHERRY. 

Prunus Cerasus. — PL 13. 



Fructification. Flowers with five petals, from twenty 
to thirty chives, and one pointal: the seed-bud 
changing to a pulpy fruit, containing one nut or 
stone. 

Specific character. Umbels of flowers on short foot-stalks: 
leaves oval-pointed, serrated, smooth, often doubled 
together. 



Though the wild black cherry is not a 
common tree in our woods, yet it may claim 
the rank of a native, since it is met with in 
several counties, of a large size, and propa- 
gates itself. Young plants of it are often 
found within the hollow trunks of old willows, 
into which the stones have been dropped by 
birds. Its appearance in spring, when covered 
with white blossoms, is very beautiful : hence 
it makes a pleasing ornament in parks and 




////,/ '/]/,„■/.'{:/,;,,, 



46 THE WILD CHERRY. 

pleasure-grounds, and forms an agreeable va- 
riety among other tall trees, few of which make 
any show with their flowers. It thrives well 
in light poor land, and particularly loves a 
sandy soil and elevated situation. The fruit, 
though small, is pleasant to the taste, and gives 
a fine flavour to spirits. The wood is hard 
and tough: it is much valued for hoops of 
casks ; and is also used by the turner and ca- 
binet-maker, and is stained so as to resemble 
mahogany. It makes excellent stocks for en- 
grafting the garden cherries upon ; being, in- 
deed, the original of all the cultivated sorts. 
The gum which exudes from it is equal in its 
properties to gum-arabic. 



THE WHITE-BEAM 

Crataegus Aria. — PL 14. 



Fructification. Flowers with five petals, about twenty 
chives, and two pointals, succeeded by a round 
berry containing two or four seeds. 

Specific character. Leaves oval, unequally or doubly 
serrated, woolly on the under-side. 



This tree has a general whiteness or meali- 
ness in its appearance, which has given it 
its name. It grows to a moderate size, and 
loves dry and open situations. It is found 
on the chalky hills of Kent, Surrey, and Sus- 
sex, and also in the mountainous parts of 
Derbyshire, where it shoots from the fissures 
of the naked rocks. The fruit is eatable when 
mellowed by the frosts. The wood is tough, 
hard, and smooth, and is fit for axles, wheels, 
w T alking-sticks ; and tool-handles. 




' '///,/; &»*, 



THE WILD SERVICE or SORB. 

Crataegus Torminalis. — PL 15. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves with seven angles, the lower- 
most lobes standing wide. 



This species, also called the Maple-leaved 
Service, grows in various parts of England, 
chiefly upon strong soils. In Hertfordshire 
large trees of it are met with. Its fruit ripens 
late in autumn, and is then brown; and if 
kept till soft, acquires an agreeable acid taste, 
and is eaten; though from the Latin trivial 
name of torminalis, (griping), it may be con- 
cluded that it is not very favourable to the 
bowels. Few of the native fruits of this cli- 
mate can boast of a much superior quality. 





a A.Btrry 



//,/,/ >./v 







///// Sr>l, 









THE HAWTHORN. 

Crat^gus Oxyacantha. 
(Monogyna of Withering). 

Of this well known species, called also the 
White-thorn, it is unnecessary to say more by 
way of description, than that it is distinguished 
from the rest by its trifid leaves, and by its 
flowers having but a single pointal. Its fruit, 
the haw, is like that of the two former kinds, 
but smaller. 

Although the hawthorn is rather a shrub 
than a tree, it well deserves notice among 
our foresters. From the closeness of its* 
growth, and its furniture of sharp thorns, it 
is universally preferred for making live fences 
or quick hedges ; and the peculiar richness of 
the extensive prospects in England is much 
owing to the frequency of the enclosures made 



50 THE HAWTHORN. 

by this plant, which affords a delightful ver- 
dure. Its flowers, likewise, by the name of 
May, decorate that month particularly with a 
profusion of beauty united with fragrance. Its 
scarlet berries greatly contribute to enliven 
the winter. The hawthorn, planted singly, 
acquires a respectable size, and is a fine object 
in the flowering season. Its wood is tough 
and strong, and is fit for axle-trees and tool- 
handles. 



THE QUICKEN TREE. 

Sorbus Atjcuparia. — PI. 16. 



Fructification. Flowers with five petals ; about twenty 
chives; and three pointals; succeeded by a round 
berry with three seeds. 

Specific character. Leaves winged; seven or eight pair 
of small ones, spear-shaped, serrated, with an odd 
one at the end. Flowers white, in large bunches. 
Berries soft, red. 



This tree is better known by the name of the 
Mountain Ash ; and in the north of England 
by that of the Rowan tree. It is properly 
a species of the service or sorb. In the southern 
counties it is generally regarded as a shrub 
or underwood ; but in the north, where it is 
permitted to grow at pleasure, it arrives at a 
considerable size. It is chiefly valued as an 
ornamental addition to plantations, on account 



52 THE QUICKEN THEE. 

of the elegant lightness of its foliage, and the 
beauty of its red berries, which remain on the 
tree during the whole winter. It will thrive 
in any good soil, but delights most in a hilly 
situation. The wood is tough and solid, and 
is valued by the wheel-wright and tool-maker. 
When bows were in use, it was regarded as 
next in value to the yew for making those 
weapons. The berries will make a fermented 
liquor, and are sometimes added to malt in 
brewing. When dried and powdered, they 
afford a kind of wholesome bread. Thrushes 
are exceedingly fond of them; and in hard 
winters resort in numbers to the quicken trees, 
from which they can scarcely be driven away. 
When the superstitious belief in witchcraft 
prevailed, the wood of this tree was supposed 
to be a preservative against its effects. 




a. Male catkin. 

b. Female I)? 

c . D?dL?c?uijyuio its St 



THE WHITE POPLAR, or 
ABELE. 

Populus Alba. — PL 17. 



Fructification. Male and female flowers upon separate 
trees. The male in an oblong catkin, each flower 
without petals, and consisting of eight chives. The 
female, in a catkin, without petals, having a seed- 
bud changing into an oval capsule, which contains 
several small feathered seeds. 

Specific character. Leaves rounded at the base, tapering 
to a point, angularly indented, blackish green above, 
covered with a thick cottony down beneath. 



This tree, which grows in woods and hedge- 
rows, and especially in low moist situations, 
is very conspicuous from the whiteness of its 
foliage. 

The poplar, that with silver lines his leaf. 

Task. 

V 2 




W^fu/^ 



54 THE WHITE POPLAR. 

It is a quick grower, and bears cropping 
well, but its shade is unfavourable to pastur- 
age. The wood is soft and .white, and is used 
for floors, laths, and packing-boxes. 



THE BLACK POPLAR. 

Populus Nigra. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves trowel-shaped, serrated. 



The name of black seems given to this spe- 
cies of poplar only in distinction from the 
white ; for its leaves are a pleasant green, and 
the tree has nothing dark in its appearance. 
The leaves are smaller than those of the pre- 
ceding, and more angular. The tree arrives 
at a greater size, and is, indeed, one of the 
tallest and most stately to be seen, when ar- 
rived at full growth. It loves a rich soil in a 
moist situation, as the banks of rivers and the 
borders of meadows. The roots run to no 
great depth in the earth, whence the trees com- 



66 THE BLACK POPLAR. 

monly lean, and are often blown down in high 
winds. It is a frequent tree in Lancashire 
and Cheshire, where the long rows of poplars 
almost conceal from view the low-seated 
towns and villages. From its great size, 
boards are sawn from it very fit for flooring, 
which have the useful property of smothering 
rather than flaming, when a lighted coal falls 
upon them. The wood likewise is not apt to 
splinter. The bark is light like cork, and 
serves to buoy up fishermen's nets. Red 
substances like cherries are sometimes found 
on the leaves, which are occasioned by the 
puncture of an insect. 



THE ASP, or ASPEN-TREE. 

Populus Tremula. 



Fructification. As the preceding. 

Specific character. Roundish leaves, angularly indented, 
and smooth on both sides. 



This species is remarkable for the constant 
tremulous motion of the leaves with the lightest 
breeze, which is owing to the length and 
slenderness of their foot-stalks. The leaves 
are smaller than those of the last species. 
The tree is large, and grows freely in all 
situations. It is injurious to grass ; and its 
roots spread so near the ground, throwing out 
numerous shoots, that they suffer nothing else 
to grow near it. The wood is extremely light, 
white and soft. Beavers are particularly fond 
of its bark and young shoots. 



SB THE ASP, OR ASPEN TREE. 

Several foreign kinds of poplar flourish well 
with us, and are introduced into plantations. 
The Po or Lombardy Poplar has lately be- 
come a great favourite from its quick growth, 
and the ease with which it is reared in all 
situations. It is particularly planted in streets 
and roads for the purpose of a screen ; and on 
the borders of nursery-grounds, to shelter 
other plants. It grows in a very regular ta- 
pering form, its numerous branches spiring 
upwards into a cone. It makes a handsome 
figure in full foliage, but has too much of a 
broom-like appearance in the winter. 




a, Male catkin 
b Fenixxle D° 



THE ORIENTAL PLANE. 

Platanus Otuentalis. — PL 18. 



Fructification. Male flowers very minute^ in globular 
catkins. Female flowers on the same tree, in similar 
catkins, changing into balls of seeds, two or three 
often strung upon one stalk, and hanging downwards, 

Specific character. Leaves palmated. 




V';,,,,^^,,, 



THE OCCIDENTAL or VIR- 
GINIA PLANE. 

Platanus Occidentals. 

Fructification. As the former. 
Specific character. Leaves lobed. 

The plane trees, as might be inferred from 
their trivial names, are foreigners, and still 
rather the cultivated growth of our parks and 
gardens, than the spontaneous product of our 
woods. They are chiefly valued for their 
beauty, and the luxuriance of their shade. 
The oriental kind, originally a native of the 
warm climates of Asia, was in singular es- 
timation with the ancients, as affording in 
the highest perfection that verdant canopy 
which is so grateful to those who enjoy the 
open air in the heats of summer. It was 
consecrated as well to the refreshment of the 



THE OCCIDENTAL OR VIRGINIA PLANE. 6) 

philosopher in his academic groves, as to 
the pleasure of the bacchanalian, who held 
his revels under its shade, and with appro- 
priate gratitude fed its roots with wine. In 
those countries it grows to be one of the 
tallest and most spreading of trees. With 
us it seldom arrives at a capital size, though 
the smoothness of its trunk, and fullness of 
its large leaves, render it a striking and con- 
spicuous object. The occidental plane is a 
native of North America, and is the most 
common here of the two. Both species de- 
light in a moist situation, and are quick 
growers. They greatly resemble each other, 
the difference being chiefly in the leaf, which 
in the oriental is palmated or fingered like 
the hand, in the occidental is divided into 
lobes. They have the property of annually 
throwing off their bark in scales. 



THE BIRCH. 

Betula Alba. — PL 19. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in a scaly catkin, each 
containing four chives. Fertile flowers, on the same 
tree, in a scaly catkin, each succeeded by a single 
seed. 

Specific Character. Leaves oval, tapering to a point, ser- 
rated. Bark white. 



This is a tree of rather humble growth, but 
valuable for clothing soils which are deserted 
by almost all other trees. Such are the bogs 
and mosses, frequent in some parts of this 
kingdom, and still more in some countries 
of the North, as Sweden, Norway, and Lap- 
land. The watery parts of forests, which 
scarcely produce any grass, are often covered 
with a thick growth of these trees ; and they 
will likewise ascend the mountains, and min- 




a . Male caddn 

b . female 1>° 




f '"*»■''' ,v - ^\ 



THE BIRCH. 65 

gle with fir and mountain-ash. A tourist in 
Wales speaks with much admiration of the 
light, airy, pendent birch, which occupies the 
highest parts of the hills, and shelters the 
cottages that dimly appear through its foliage. 
Its white bark contrasts with the black surface 
of the peat-mosses, and enlivens scenes other- 
wise the most gloomy and desolate in nature. 
The leaves are small and elegant ; the boughs 
finely divided into slender twigs. They are 
subject to a kind of disease, occasioning the 
branches to throw out a vast number of 
suckers, in one part, which intermix so as to 
form a close resemblance of a rook's nest. 

The wood of the birch is of little value, 
and, except for fuel, is scarcely used but for 
hoops and women's shoe-heels. In the times 
of archery it was preferred for arrows. " The 
birch for shafts," says Spenser. On account 
of its lightness, it is much employed for 
scaffoldings about London. Its small branches 



64 THE BIRCH. 

or twigs are commonly used for besoms. The 
bark is a very valuable substance to the northern 
people, who make various utensils of it, and 
cover their houses with it. It also makes good 
torches ; for it abounds in a resinous quality, 
which likewise gives it firmness and durability. 

The sap of the birch is an agreeably- 
flavoured, sweetish liquor, well known as the 
basis of one of our domestic wines. It is, 
however, necessary to add sugar or honey in 
order to bring it to ferment properly. This 
juice is extracted by boring holes in the tree 
almost to the centre of the trunk, in the spring, 
as soon as the sap begins to flow. The leaves 
of the birch possess an agreeable fragrance. 



THE ALDER. 

Betula Alnus. — PL 20. 



Fructification. As the birch, except that the female cat- 
kin is rounder, like a fir-cone. 

Specific character. Fruit-stalks branched. Leaves nearly 
circular, serrated, clammy. 



This tree is also a lover of moisture, and flou- 
rishes in boggy situations, and by the side of 
rivers. It may be reared to a large tree ; in which 
state it must have been, in order to have 
afforded the first material for boats or canoes 
by its hollowed trunk, as mentioned by Virgil 
in his Georgics ; and when arrived at full size, 
bears a very close resemblance to the oak 
in its general appearance. With us it is more 
commonly planted for coppice-wood, to be 
cut down every ninth or tenth year for poles, 
g 2 



66 THE ALDER. 

The wood is chiefly valuable for its property 
of remaining long sound under water ; whence 
it is used for water-pipes, and for piles to 
be driven into the ground in order to support 
buildings in boggy situations. It is also em- 
ployed for shoe-heels, clogs, and turner's work. 
Every part of the alder has an astringent 
quality. Its bark gives a brown dye, and is 
used by fishermen to stain their nets, and by 
the calico-printers. With the addition of cop- 
peras it strikes a black. 



THE WHITE WILLOW. 

Salix Alba. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in a tiled catkin, each 
having from two to five chives. Fertile flowers upon 
separate trees, in a catkin, each succeeded by a cap- 
sule of one cell, containing several feathered seeds. 

Specific character. Leaves spear-shaped, sharp-pointed, 
serrated, downy on both sides, the lowermost ser- 
ratures glandular. 



The numerous willow tribe are for the most 
part aquatics. They differ much as to size ; 
but are in general distinguished by the length 
of their leaves, and slenderness and flexibility 
of their branches. The white willow is one 
of those which arrive at the largest bulk. It 
is common in moist woods and hedges, and on 
the side of brooks and rivers, the course of 
which it often marks by its grey foliage, dis- 



68 THE WHITE WILLOW. 

tiuguishable at a distance by the eye of the 
traveller. The woodof this tree is very white, 

and takes a fine polish; whence it is in request 
for milk-pails and other utensils which require 
peculiar cleanliness. The bark of this and of 
some other species of willow is astringent; and 
will tan leather. It has been used medicinally 
as a substitute for the Peruvian bark in the 
cure of agues ; a property happily suited to 
the situations in which these trees principally 
delight. 



THE CRACK WILLOW. 

Salix Fragilis. — PL 21. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves oval-lanceolate, serrated, smooth 
with toothed, glandular foot-stalks. 



This species also grows to a pretty tall tree. 
Its name is derived from the brittleness of its 
small branches, which, if struck with the fin- 
ger, break off at the yfear's shoot. It grows 
quickly, and will thrive in most soils. Its 
leaves are of a shining green on both sides, and 
of great length ; which give it an elegant ap- 
pearance. 







„,/ //,//,„ 



THE WEEPING WILLOW. 

Salix Babylon ica. 



m 

Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves narrow, spear-shaped, smooth, 
serrated ; branches pendulous. 



This species is well known to the lovers of 
picturesque beauty, from that disposition to 
hang down in long slender branches, which 
makes it an admirable accompaniment to a 
still retired piece of water, with the melancholy 
character of which it is perfectly in unison. In 
misty weather, drops of water are seen distilling 
from the extremities of its branches ; which 
circumstance has given it a name, and wonder- 
fully aids its effect. The weeping willow grows 



THE WEEFING WILLOW. 7i 

to a large size, and attains a considerable age. 
One has lately been cut down, planted in his 
own garden, by the hand of Pope, and said 
to have been one of the first of its species 
introduced into the kingdom. 



THE SALLOW. 

Salix Caprea. 



Fructification* As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves oval, wrinkled, downy beneath, 
waved, indented towards the upper end. 



This species also grows to a considerable 
size. It delights in dryer soils than most of 
the willow tribe, and will thrive on the tops 
of hills. Its branches are brittle, smooth, and 
of a dark green. The catkins are very large 
and white, and much resorted to by bees early 
in the spring. The flowering branches are 
gathered by children under the name of 
palms ; arid carried about on Palm Sunday. 
The wood of the sallow is used for fuel, and 



THE SALLOW. 75 

makes excellent charcoal for gunpowder and 
drawing-pencils. It is also employed by 
turners ; and of the smaller boughs hurdles 
are made. The bark is used by some northern 
people in tanning. 



THE OZIER. 

Salix Viminalis. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves very long, narrow, pointed, 
almost entire, silky beneath ; branches rod-like. 



This species is the principal example of the 
shrub-willows, remarkable for their very long 
and flexible branches, which fit them for being 
woven into the different kinds of basket-work. 
The ozier loves a moist situation, and is 
commonly planted by the sides of rivers 
and ponds. It covers many of the river- 
islands of the Thames, and renders very 
profitable, spots which would otherwise be 
left waste. It has the further value of 
strengthening the banks of streams, and pre- 




[ah ea/A\ | . 

hf Gem vr 'tfjiter lodtjt . 

'c nitusc tone . 

Cone opened shewing the 




^///Z 



THE OZIER. 75 

venting them from being washed away by the 
force of the current. It is of very rapid growth, 
and when properly managed will afford an 
annual crop of twigs for the basket-maker. 
There are several kinds of ozier ; and some 
other sorts of willow are trained and cropt for 
similar purposes, according to the size of twigs 
required for different works. 

There are many other species of willow 
besides those above enumerated, which, how- 
ever, in properties all approach them more 
or less. Some dwarf kinds are met with as 
far north as almost any vegetables will grow, 
and dwindle in bulk till they become the very 
lowest of trees ui shrubs. 



THE SCOTH FIR, or PINE. 

Pinus Sylvestris. — PL £2. 



Fructification. Barren flowers in bunches, each with many 
chives united at the tips. Fertile flowers on the same 
tree in a cone, composed of scales, with two flowers 
in each; the seed-bud succeeded by a nut having a 
winged membrane. 

Specific charactei\ Leaves growing in pairs out of one 
sheath ; in their first growth solitary and smooth. 



The pine tribe form a large and important 
family in trees, distinguished by their stiff, 
narrow, pointed leaves, generally evergreen, 
and of a dark] hue, and scaly cones. Some 
of them affect mountainous situations ; others, 
bogs and swamps; and they often compose 
woods of vast extent, clothing barren and 
desolate regions unfit for human culture. 

The species of pine now under conside- 
ration is called with us the Scotch fir, because 
it grows naturally in some parts of the High- 



THE SCOTCH FIR. 77 

lands of Scotland, perpetuating itself by the 
seedlings which come up from the fallen cones. 
It is, however, by no means peculiar to that 
country, but grows abundantly in the moun- 
tainous parts of Norway, Sweden, and Russia, 
covering the sides of the highest hills, often 
out of the reach of man. It will thrive in 
any temperate climate, and delights most in 
poor sandy soils. When growing in a thick 
wood or grove, it is drawn up w 7 ith a straight 
naked trunk ; but in an open sunny exposure 
it spreads out with wide branches. As only 
the terminating buds send forth shoots, it will 
not bear the least clipping. Vast plantations 
of this tree have been made within the last 
forty or fifty years in various parts of the 
island, which will at least answ er the purpose 
of improving the landscape in naked and sterile 
tracts, though it is suspected that the timber 
will never be so valuable as that in the na- 
tural forests. No wood is at present used 
among us in a quantity approaching that of 
the fir ; which, under the name of deal, is the 
H 2 



78 THE SCOTCH FIR. 

principal timber employed about buildings, for 
flooring, planks, beams, rafters, and the like ; 
also for the upper-deck works of men of war, 
and for various domestic purposes. It has the 
advantage of being cheap, light, and easily 
worked ; but it splits readily, and is ex- 
tremely inflammable. Deals are red, yellow, 
or white, according to their growth, or the 
different species of fir whence they are pro- 
cured. Almost the whole of our consump- 
tion comes from Norway, or the countries 
bordering the Baltic; the firs of our own 
growth being fit for little more than posts 
and rails. Those in the native forests of 
Scotland, indeed, are to be excepted, but these 
afford a small supply. 

Besides the value of their timber, the firs 
of various species yield the important products 
of turpentine, tar, and pitch. They abound 
in a resinous juice, which, exuding from the 
tree in its natural state, is turpentine. The 
same, when forced out by a close-smothered 



THE SCOTCH FIR. 79 

fire, is tar ; and this, thickened by boiling, be- 
comes pitch. Rosin is the residuum of tur- 
pentine from which the essential oil has been 
distilled. From all these uses, the fir may be 
called the sailor s tree with as much propriety 
as the oak. Indeed, the earliest vessels built 
for navigation were constructed with this ma- 
terial, and in the ancient poets the pine is 
constantly employed as a metaphorical term 
for a ship. Even at present, the cheapness 
of fir timber in the north of Europe and 
America causes many vessels to be built of it 
alone, which have the advantage of swimming 
light, though they soon decay. 

The white inner rind of the Scotch fir is 
ground to powder and mixed with rye meal in 
order to make bread in seasons of scarcity, by 
the poor inhabitants of Sweden and Norway. 

Many other species of pine are now become 
common in our plantations. Of these we shall 
mention a few of the principal. 



80 



THE SPRUCE FIR. 
Pimjs Abies.— PL 23. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves solitary, awl-shaped, pointed, 
smooth, turned two ways. 



This is a fine and large tree, growing plenti- 
fully in the mountain-woods of Norway, and 
valuable for its timber, which is said to afford 
the white deal. From the green tops of 
this species is made the spruce-beer, so much 
esteemed in America as a remedy for scor- 
butic disorders. 




.,v 



3L 



81 

THE SILVER FIR. 

PlNUS PlCEA. — PL 24. 



Fructification, As the former. 

Specific character. Solitary notched leaves : cones point- 
ing upwards. 



This species grows to a straight tall tree, and 
is one of the most sightly of the kind. It re- 
ceives its name from the hue of its leaves, 
which are of a full green in their upper sur- 
face, but, in the under, have two white lines 
running parallel to the mid-rib on each side, 
which give it a silvery appearance as viewed 
from below. The leaves in their form and 
manner of growth resemble those of the yew, 
whence it has been named the yew-leaved fir. 
The Latin appellation, picea, is borrowed 
from its being that whence tar or pitch is 
chiefly extracted. It is a native of Norway, 
and is said to yield the yellow deal. The 
cones grow to a great size, and soon shed 
their seeds. 



82 

THE WEYMOUTH PINE. 

Pinus Strobus. — PL £5. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific character. Leaves, five growing out of each 
sheath. 

This species, a native of North America, 
where it is called the white pine, grows to the 
/greatest height of any of the tribe, often arriv- 
ing to that of one hundred feet. It is there- 
fore preferred to the rest for masts of ships ; 
and our largest men of war are furnished with 
them from trunks of this pine collected in 
the yards of Nova Scotia. They were first 
cultivated in England by Lord Weymouth, 
whence they are generally known here by his 
name ; and they are now common in our plan- 
tations. 

This tree has a smooth delicate bark, and 
its branches are well clothed with leaves. Its 
long cones hang loosely down, and soon shed 
their seeds. 




& 




J! 



i.; 



.;■■:. 



¥ ¥ 



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r 




a Male calkin, 
b . Immature cone. 
c . Female flower 



83 

THE LARCH. 

Pinus Larix. — PL 26. 



Fructification. As the former. 

Specific Character. Leaves long, narrow, in bundles 
spreading like a brush, deciduous. 



This tree, a native of the Alps and Apen- 
nines, has become a favourite with us, and is 
now extremely common in our nurseries and 
plantations, and for some years past has sprung 
up self-sown in the Highlands of Scotland. 
In beauty of appearance, and durability of 
wood, it much surpasses the Scotch fir, and 
will thrive in soils and situations equally un- 
promising. Its leaves fall in the winter, but 
not till they are almost ready to be imme- 
diately succeeded by fresh ones. Some larches 
make a beautiful show in flowering-time with 



84 THE LARCH. 

the bright purple tips of their female buds. 
Their branches have a tendency to hang down- 
wards ; and the trees, when they have room 
to spread, feather quite to the ground, forming 
an elegant cone of verdure. The wood is 
considered as almost unperishable in the coun- 
tries where it is employed for timber. The 
larch is very resinous, and yields the turpen- 
tine commonly called Venice. The young 
shoots are peculiarly grateful to the stag, and 
to the squirrel ; the latter of which animals 
is a very mischievous inhabitant of larch plan- 
tations, from its practice of gnawing off the 
leading shoot of the young trees. 




a Berry cut vertically. 

/> . Seed . 



THE YEW. 

Taxus Baccata.— PL 0,7. 



Fructification. Barren flowers, without petals, consisting 
of many united chives. Fertile flowers, generally 
on a separate tree, without petals, succeeded by a 
berry, succulent, globular, open at the end, contain- 
ing one seed. 

Specific character. Long, narrow, pointed leaves, grow- 
ing near together. Bark reddish. Berries red. 



The yew is a native tree of this country, and 
is found in rocky and mountainous situations, 
where, though of slow growth, and moderate 
height, it sometimes arrives at great thickness 
of trunk. It is however, more commonly seen 
in a planted state, particularly in church-yards, 
probably on account of its being an evergreen, 
and furnishing boughs for the decoration of 
churches at the season of Christmas. This 
i 




w- 



86 THE YEW. 

situation, and the gloomy darkness of its foli- 
age, have caused it to be named " the funereal 
yew." It is, however, more celebrated for the 
ancient use of its wood in making the most 
formidable weapon of our ancestors, the long 
bow. Its toughness and elasticity rendered it 
peculiarly fit for this purpose : Thus Spenser 
characterises it as 

The eugh obedient to the bender's will. 

Much force was, however, required in over- 
coming its resistance, and the archer must have 
had a strong arm 



• who drew, 



And almost joined, the horns of the tough yew. 

It was commonly planted near houses, both 
on account of its utility, and its fitness for 
being cut into those artificial shapes which 
were formerly thought highly curious and orna- 
mental. Pyramids, obelisks, birds and beasts > 
of yew decorated the court-yards of our 
country-houses, and supplied matter of admi- 



THE YEW. 87 

ration to the gazing passenger. A better use 
of its obedience to the shears was made in 
the tall and impenetrable yew hedges, which 
sheltered and protected the ancient gardens. 
The yew, however, has always lain under the 
imputation of possessing noxious qualities. It 
is thought prejudicial to bees, and horses and 
cows have been killed by eating quantities of 
its clippings. There are even instances of a 
small dose of the fresh leaves proving fatal to 
children to whom it was given as a remedy 
for the worms. The sweet and viscid berries 
are eaten without inconvenience. The wood 
is at present valued by cabinet-makers and in- 
layers, on account of its beautiful red veins; 
and is also a good material for axles, cogs for 
mill-wheels, flood-gates for fish-ponds, and 
other works of strength and durability. 



THE HOLLY. 
Ilex Aquifolium. — PL 



Fructification, Flowers generally with four chives and 
four pointals on each, (but sometimes the barren and 
fertile separate,) succeeded by a berry with four cells 
and one seed in each. 

Specific character. Leaves oval, pointed, thorny. 



The holly grows native in woods to the height 
of twenty or thirty feet ; but we more usually 
see it in gardens in the state of a shrub. It 
is an evergreen, and by its shining leaves and 
red berries forms a principal decoration in 
the winter landscape. Armed by nature in its 
own defence with thorns projecting from the 
indentations of the leaves, it has been selected 
by man for the protection of his cultivated 
plants, and formed into hedges impenetrable 




Bcrrv. 



THE HOLLY. «9 

to all the foes of the garden. Were it not 
for its slow growth, no native of this climate 
would be preferred to the holly for this pur- 
pose. Mr. Evelyn speaks with rapture upon 
this subject. " Is there," says he, " under 
heaven a more glorious and refreshing object 
of the kind, than an impregnable hedge of 
about four hundred feet in length, nine feet 
high, and five in diameter, which I can show 
in my now ruined gardens at Say's Court, at 
any time of the year, glittering with its armed 
and varnished leaves ; the taller standards at 
orderly distances, blushing with their natural 
coral ? It mocks the rudest assaults of the 
weather, beasts, or hedge-breakers, Et ilium 
nemo impune lacessit." 

By the skill of the gardener numerous varie- 
ties are derived from the common or wild 
holly, distinguished by the variegations of their 
leaves, and disposition of their prickles. Some 
of these are very curious and beautiful, and 



90 THE HOLLY. 

afford rich ornaments to a shrubbery. The 
wood of the full-grown holly is valuable. It 
is the whitest of all our hard woods, and 
therefore used by inlayers, and is sometimes 
stained black to imitate ebony. It is also ex- 
cellent for the uses of the turner, carver, and 
mill- wright, being extremely firm and durable. 
Birdlime is made of the green bark of the 
holly, first boiled, and then laid in a damp 
place to ferment, by which it is converted to 
a perfect mucilage or slime. 



THE BOX. 

Buxus Sempervirens, 



Fructification. Barren flowers with two petals and four 
chives. Fertile flowers in the same bud, with three 
petals and three shafts, succeeded by a roundish cap- 
sule with three bills and three cells, having two 
seeds. 

Specific character. Leaves oval, thick, glossy. Blossoms 
greenish white. 



The box is another evergreen tree or shrub, 
which is met with, though sparingly, in a wild 
state with us, but more commonly as planted in 
our gardens. Its rareness (probably owing to 
a foreign origin) may be inferred by its having 
given a name to those spots where it is prin- 
cipally found ; as Box-hill, in Surrey ; Box- 
ley, in Kent ; and Boxwell, in the Cotswould 
in Gloucestershire. In all these places the 
box grows in woods or thickets; it is also 



7 7 2* 

- 

&99&-F 

92 THE BOX. 

plentiful upon the chalk hills near Dunstable. % 
A stony shallow soil, of the lime-stone kind, % 
seems best to suit it. In old gardens it was 
much cultivated for the purpose of being 
clipped into those artificial forms which were 
once so much admired ; and also for hedges. 
A dwarf kind is still one of the commonest 
borderings of flower beds, and pleases the eye 
by its perpetual verdure. The wood of the 
box is of a pale yellow colour ; and being 
very hard, smooth, and solid, is much valued 
for various purposes. The principal of these 
are the making of combs, mathematical rulers, 
and other instruments, flutes, shuttles, and 
turnery wares. It bears a high price, and may 
be cut about every thirty years. 



FINIS. 



Whittingham and Rowland, Printers, Goswell Street, London. 




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